East of England

Popular Suffolk seaside sailing town, famous for its fresh fish sold from the seashore, the Scallop sculpture by Maggi Hambling and the Aldeburgh Festival, started by the composer Benjamin Britten, who lived in the town and whose house, the Red House, can be viewed. The main concert venue is at Snape Maltings, just up the road. Aldeburgh also boasts a fine Tudor Moot Hall and a Napoleonic Martello Tower - the latter is not open to the public, but is available for holidays. Aldeburgh is a fairly buzzy place, with a variety of shops, pubs, restaurants and a cinema.

A lovely Tudor town hall, dating from c1550, and a symbol of Aldeburgh's prosperity at the time. The ground floor would have been occupied by shops, with meetings taking place on the first floor. Greatly restored in Victorian times, it now houses a good local museum. The building would once have been more at the centre of town - now it is close to the beach, an indication of shoreline erosion in this part of the UK.

Flint-covered remains of a 15th century merchant's house, with a fine brick-vaulted undercroft. It later became the guildhall for local fish merchants. Worth seeing if you're in town; it's just by the quayside.

The Broads covers an area of 117 square miles of East Anglia, where there is a network of navigable waterways and rivers, which meander through low countryside and past picturesque villages. It is a place for leisure boating and wildlife watching, particularly birds and invertebrates. The 'broads' themselves are formed from old flooded peat workings.

Impressive and extensive ruins, which include a virtually complete west range with the prior's lodging and several wonderful features - including a ceiling with original painted Tudor roses. The site is enormous, and varied. There's also an exhibition and a herb garden.

IWM Duxford is a historic RAF airfield also used by the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. It houses the Imperial War Museum's huge collection of historic aircraft and other large vehicles like tanks. Permanent exhibitions include the American Air Museum, Battle of Britain, Land Warfare and Historic Duxford (many of the buildings are original). You can get up close and personal with some of the most famous aircraft ever, including the Spitfire, Lancaster, Concorde and Vulcan. It's probably the best aviation collection and museum in the country, and enormous, so allow enough time. Air Shows are a regular feature and Duxford is also home to the Airborne Assault and Royal Anglian Museums.

One of three surviving original Eleanor Crosses of the 12 ordered by Edward I to commemorate his deceased wife, Eleanor. Eleanor died at Harby in 1290 and a cross was subsequently erected at every point where the cortege carrying her body rested on its journey to Westminster. The other three surviving crosses are at Geddington and Hardingstone in Northamptonshire; the final cross was at Charing, London. The Waltham Cross is in the centre of the town near the Pavilions Shopping Centre and has been heavily restored.

Ely Cathedral was founded by Queen Etheldreda in the 7th century on the site of an earlier church. Sacked by the Danes, it was re-founded by Benedictine monks in the 10th century. The present, magnificent yet serene, cathedral dates from 11th century, was heavily refurbished in the 19th century and is partly surrounded by parkland. Do not miss the amazing octagon tower, the ceilings and the Lady Chapel.